The Phoenix Clan held nothing but reverence for Li Xinghe, especially Yuan Feng, who had long regarded him as the man of her dreams.
"The Phoenix Clan had best stay out of this. Otherwise, it will surely suffer a devastating decline and withdraw from the stage of Primordial Wilderness history." Li Xinghe spoke bluntly.
Yuan Feng was startled. The Phoenix Clan's fortune was at its peak. They possessed the power of immortality and could undergo nirvana rebirth. How could that be possible?
"No wonder Father refused when I said we should demand treasures from the Three Races last time. So the Phoenix Clan has one of Father's old flames." Xuan Ming, the Ancestral Witch, blurted out without restraint.
Yuan Feng's face flushed slightly, but she said nothing.
Li Xinghe had no such reservations either. Yuan Feng suited his tastes in every regard. Taking this woman for himself would not be bad.
However, according to the course of the Primordial Wilderness, Yuan Feng would ultimately perish in this tribulation.
To preserve her life, he would inevitably become entangled in Cause and Effect, perhaps even be drawn into this great tribulation.
Thus, the best solution was to resolve the matter at its source and prevent the Phoenix Clan from going to war.
"The Phoenix Clan has no desire to contend for the world, but the Dragon Clan is ambitious. I fear they will not let this rest. Once they destroy the Qilin Race, they will surely turn on the Phoenix Clan." Yuan Feng was no longer the naïve young girl she had once been.
As the leader of one of the Three Primal Races of the Primordial Wilderness, Yuan Feng had not merely grown stronger over the years; her vision and perspective had broadened greatly as well.
Li Xinghe naturally understood this. The Dragon-Phoenix Tribulation was the second great tribulation under the workings of the Heavenly Dao. It could not be reversed by human effort.
Moreover, Hongjun and Luohu were lurking in the shadows, waiting to reap the benefits.
Unless the Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin Races made their exit, those two could only remain hidden behind the scenes and could never rule the Primordial World.
"Even if it cannot be avoided, delay the time of entering the conflict as much as possible. Only then can the Phoenix Clan preserve the greatest possible portion of its strength," Li Xinghe said.
Yuan Feng nodded and immediately ordered Immortality Volcano sealed from that day onward.
Li Xinghe also took up temporary residence at Immortality Volcano. This time, Xuan Ming and Houtu had accompanied him out.
The two Ancestral Witches had now cultivated the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Technique to its fourth revolution, making them comparable to Late Daluo Golden Immortals.
Though they could not compare with the top experts of the Primordial Wilderness, they had gained enough strength to protect themselves.
Li Xinghe could endure solitude, but the two Ancestral Witches had no desire to hide away in Immortality Volcano.
"Father, we want to travel through the Primordial Wilderness." Xuan Ming and Houtu had grown tired of playing around Immortality Volcano long ago and could no longer hold themselves back.
Li Xinghe pondered quietly. There was no point in shielding them so completely. It was time for them to gain experience on their own.
The Twelve Ancestral Witches bore the mandate of destiny. Though they could not compare to that old man Hongjun, they were still destined to become some of the future protagonists of heaven and earth.
At present, there should not be many in the Primordial World capable of defeating them.
With the cultivation of Late Daluo Golden Immortals, their Ancestral Witch bodies, and Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures to protect them, even figures on the level of the Three Pure Ones would find it impossible to kill them.
But across the entire Primordial World, who could compare to the Three Pure Ones in innate foundations? Only a few hidden Chaos Demon Gods and the strongest experts of the Three Races could threaten them.
"Go! Remember, if you encounter danger you cannot withstand, summon me." Li Xinghe nodded. The two women were thrilled; they could finally roam the Primordial Wilderness on their own.
Little did he know that this indulgence of his would unexpectedly draw the two sisters into the Dragon-Phoenix Tribulation.
Across the lands of the Primordial Wilderness, the Dragon Clan's momentum now soared to the heavens. They could be said to reign supreme over all.
Though the Qilin Race was at a disadvantage, it had not yet been utterly defeated.
Furthermore, Luohu was secretly stirring up trouble. To increase the killing aura between heaven and earth, he did not hesitate to personally enter the fray.
Using secret demonic arts, Luohu created countless incarnations. Whenever the Qilin Race fell into disadvantage, he would secretly hunt Dragon Clan experts.
This was why none of the Three Races emerged victorious from the Dragon-Phoenix Tribulation in the end.
Even the leaders of the Three Races met the fate of dying and having their Dao extinguished.
It was because Luohu had been plotting behind the scenes, keeping the Three Races' strength in a constant state of balance.
Only then would the Three Races exhaust their final shred of strength, with their leaders more or less perishing together in mutual destruction and completely withdrawing from the stage of Primordial Wilderness history.
Only Li Xinghe knew the secret behind it all. But the Dragon Clan and Qilin Race had nothing to do with him, so he would not interfere.
Tribulation Qi surged through heaven and earth and had to be expended. As the saying went, better dead fellow cultivators than dead me—let the Dragon Clan and Qilin Race fight to the death.
Xuan Ming and Houtu left Immortality Volcano, but they had no idea where to go.
"Father always brought us along before. Now we do not even know where to go." Houtu wore a wry smile.
"I already decided. Those three fellows at Kunlun Mountain were so arrogant last time. Now that we have our own magical treasures, we can go teach them a lesson." Xuan Ming had long made her plans.
Sure enough, the most dangerous people to offend in the world were women. Even Ancestral Witches could hold such grudges.
"Also, the Dragon Clan is acting so arrogantly and even wants to dominate the world. I think they will sooner or later clash with the Phoenix Clan, so why not help Yuan Feng?"
Xuan Ming feared neither heaven nor earth. After all, Li Xinghe was there to back them up.
Houtu hesitated. "But did Father not say that the Phoenix Clan should not get involved?"
"I am afraid the Dragon Clan will not leave things at that. Yuan Feng will sooner or later be taken in by Father. We are not helping her—we are helping Father."
Thus, the two Ancestral Witches presumptuously made up their minds to help the Phoenix Clan deal with the Dragon Clan.
Within Kunlun Mountain, ever since the Three Pure Ones obtained their Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures, they had remained in seclusion and cultivated diligently.
The three treasures were each perfectly suited to their owners. Yet with their Early Daluo Golden Immortal cultivation, it was still somewhat difficult for them to refine the restrictions upon Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures.
After all these years, they had only just cultivated to the Middle Daluo Golden Immortal stage.
"Eldest Brother, I heard that the leaders of the Three Primal Races are all Middle Golden Immortals of the Origin. Could it be that we are inferior to those beasts?" Yuanshi Tianzun was somewhat unwilling to accept it.
"Second Brother, there is no need for envy. Tribulation Qi now fills heaven and earth. I believe the Three Primal Races' fortunes are likely nearing their end. We need only remain in seclusion and wait for the right opportunity. Then we can make our mark in the Primordial World." Taiqing Laozi had always been detached and inactive, his mindset steady.
At that moment, the two suddenly looked toward Tongtian beside them in astonishment.
Among the three, their ranking was based on the order in which they took form, but it also vaguely represented the difference in their strength.
Yet Tongtian had unexpectedly taken the lead and broken through to Late Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal, leaving Laozi and Yuanshi utterly shocked.
Could the Qingping Sword possess some other mystery, making it more powerful than the Taiyi Fly Whisk and the Three Treasures Jade Ruyi?
But that was impossible. All three were formed from the Twenty-Four Grade Creation Green Lotus, so these three Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures should have been equal in rank.
Sect Leader Tongtian opened his eyes, and a ray of sword light shot forth, astonishing Laozi and Yuanshi even more.
They knew Tongtian was proficient in the Sword Dao, but they had not expected him to reach such a realm.
Strictly speaking, this already touched upon laws—something ordinary Grand Unity Golden Immortals could not comprehend.
"Congratulations, Third Brother." Although Laozi and Yuanshi harbored doubts, they sincerely offered their congratulations.
At this time, the Three Pure Ones had no conflicts of interest. They shared glory and disgrace alike.
Tongtian smiled faintly. "I happened to gain a minor breakthrough in the Sword Dao, yet unexpectedly, my realm rose as well."
At this moment, Tongtian's feelings were extremely complicated. The reason he had broken through so quickly was thanks to Li Xinghe's casual strike back then.
It had appeared to be an attack against them, but in truth, Li Xinghe had been guiding them. Unfortunately, Eldest Brother and Second Brother had been too wary to grasp the mystery within.
He had wanted to explain the matter, but that kind of state could only be understood, never put into words.
Only because Li Xinghe had personally witnessed Pangu opening heaven could he manifest part of its mysteries. No one else could possibly do so.
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